Iraq: Last hours show Bush's resolve WASHINGTON -- The Stealth bombers were in the air, ready to strike a building where Iraqi leaders were believed to be hiding, but President Bush hadn't given the green light.

Iraq: World reaction: On TV, at summit, Blair backs war Before his nation and his colleagues on the continent, Britain's leader reinforced his support for the war against Saddam Hussein. Canada's prime minister sought restraint in comments about the United States as European leaders, while not retreating from their opposition, looked ahead to a postwar Iraq. Opinion in Asia was divided, while South American nations expressed opposition to the war.

Iraq: U.S. asks all nations to expel any Iraqi envoys WASHINGTON -- In an unusual diplomatic move, the Bush administration called Thursday for the expulsion of Iraqi diplomats by all countries that recognize and deal with the government in Baghdad.

Iraq: Well-tested weapons used to launch war WASHINGTON -- The opening salvos in the war to remove Saddam Hussein relied on tried-and-true cruise missiles and precision-guided bombs dropped by Air Force stealth fighter-bombers.

Iraq: Hussein's fate unclear after attack WASHINGTON -- A war-opening strike against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his inner circle appears to have significantly shaken the Baghdad regime, although the fate of Hussein and his two sons remained unknown, Bush administration officials said on Thursday.

Iraq: Hussein mystery: Was he hit? U.S. intelligence officials believe Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, possibly accompanied by one or both of his powerful sons, was still inside a compound in southern Baghdad early Thursday when it was struck by a barrage of U.S. bombs and cruise missiles.

Dispatch from the 101st: When siren wails, everybody runs At Camp Pennsylvania in northern Kuwait, home to the 101st Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, the first missile alarm sounded about 12:25 p.m.

Dropping of pilots' charges is urged NEW ORLEANS -- A military hearing officer recommended Thursday that charges be dismissed against two U.S. pilots who mistakenly dropped a bomb in Afghanistan last spring, killing four Canadian soldiers conducting live-fire exercises.

U.S. spy sentenced to life for courting Iraq, China ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A retired Air Force master sergeant was sentenced to life in prison without parole Thursday for offering to sell U.S. intelligence secrets to Iraq's Saddam Hussein and the Chinese government.

House condemns pledge decision WASHINGTON -- The House voted Thursday to condemn a federal appeals court's rulings that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional because of its reference to God.

Education gaps closing; income disparity remains WASHINGTON -- Educational gaps between men and women and whites and blacks have narrowed in recent years, but this much has not changed: A highly educated white man still makes much more than anyone else.

Militant killed in gunbattle at training site GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- A gunbattle erupted Thursday in northern Gaza, killing one militant, after Palestinian authorities tried to break up a Hamas training session on how to fire homemade rockets at Israel.

South Korea raises concerns over North SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea put its military on heightened alert for any North Korean attempt to raise tension on the Korean Peninsula while the world is distracted by the outbreak of war in Iraq.

Prominent Cuban dissidents held HAVANA -- Cuban agents arrested a leading independent journalist and a democracy activist Thursday, as a major crackdown on dissent began targeting the communist government's best-known critics.

Fighting terror: FBI steps up antiterror efforts WASHINGTON -- The FBI intensified its effort Thursday to interview thousands of Iraqi-born individuals living in the United States in an effort to uncover any potential terrorists and to protect the rest from hate crimes.